Chanel Première Camélia Skeleton
Chanel Première Camélia Skeleton
GPHG 2017 Ladies Category Finalist
Making it through to the final selection of six pieces from the hotly contested Ladies category preliminaries of GPHG 2017, the Chanel Première Camélia Skeleton combines two of the brand's most enduring themes, in an airy and refined design.
An intrinsic aspect to the Chanel 'code' is timeless design, and almost simplistic in its appearance, thanks to its refined, diamond-set rectangular case, itself inspired by the profile of le Place de Vendôme in Paris. and the see-through, stripped back, blackened movement and double sapphire crystals which allows light to flood in, the Première Camélia Skeleton embodies Chanel's 'less is more' design ethos, but as is their way, the devil is in the detail. It is elegant, stylish, chic, sophisticated, exotic, and of course delightfully feminine.
The Première Camélia Skeleton marks the occasion of two notable Chanel milestones, as not only does it celebrate thirty years of watch production - and the classic Première model itself, but it also features the iconic, high class fashion brand's second ever in house movement.
It's a lovely piece of work which is designed around the blossom of Mademoiselle Chanel's favourite flower, the camelia, which has been a recurring feature in Chanel products down the years. More like a frame which binds the components than the more traditional movement plates, the black silhouette of the flower shape is minimalistic and graceful, and the hand winding movement is fully exposed.
Considering the criteria for this category the Première Camélia Skeleton is certainly a deserving finalist. However, at over $122,000 it is, by quite some distance, the most expensive piece here, and ultimately price could be a factor when it comes to the crunch of the jury decision. The competition is stiff, and each watch has strong winning potential credentials, so it's not that the cost is particularly relative to what you get, in terms of a wristwatch, especially if you consider that you could buy a combination of virtually any three of the others and still have change left over. It is beautiful in design and execution, and of course it is Chanel, but still...
The Watch Press prediction:
What could be more feminine than a diamond encrusted Chanel ladies watch on a black satin strap? A strong challenger, although just possibly priced out of contention.
The pertinents
REFERENCE: H5251
CASE: White gold
BRACELET/STRAP: Satin
BUCKLE: Pin buckle
MOVEMENT: Hand winding mechanical. Power reserve: 48 h, 28'800 vph
FUNCTIONS: Hours, Minutes
SIZE: 28.5 x 37 mm
THICKNESS: 10.6 mm
WATERPROOFNESS: 30 m
PRICE EXCL.VAT: CHF 122'222
With its wedge-like, convention defying appearance, its unfamiliar rotating display configuration and its sheer other-worldliness, the URWERK UR-106 Flower Power certainly stands out among the six finalist contenders in the 2017 GPHG Ladies category.